Pots, parmigianas and pokies are sometimes related to RSL golf equipment however there’ll not be any poker machines left in Tasmanian venues from the center of the 12 months.
The closing 20 machines within the Devonport sub-branch shall be eliminated by July over issues for the wellbeing of veterans and their households.
RSL Tasmania chief govt John Hardy mentioned the organisation had “no other choice” however to do away with the machines after analyzing its objective and values.
He pointed to analysis from Melbourne University displaying veterans who left the providers for medical causes and susceptible neighborhood members had been liable to getting hooked on the machines.
“RSL Tasmania is about making Tasmania a place where veterans and their families can thrive. If we’re not about that, then why is there an RSL?” Mr Hardy instructed AAP.
“If it’s not about commemoration, if it’s not about veterans, if it’s not about recognition of service and if it’s not about families of veterans, then it’s a bar.
“It’s a sports activities bar, or it is a pokie den. That’s not an RSL.”
He said no sub-branches had shut because of the ban but instead attributed it to dwindling membership numbers.
“Maybe we weren’t fast sufficient on changing into related and we’ve got to revitalise our relevance,” he said.
The decision only applies to the 49 sub-branches associated with RSL Tasmania, not other clubs which may have RSL in their name but have no connection to the organisation.
Mr Hardy said the decision was not political or prompted by new cashless gaming card laws in Tasmania which cap losses at $100 a day or $5000 a year.
Gaming regulation is shaping as a major election issue in NSW, after Premier Dominic Perrottet pledged to implement cashless gaming cards while the Labor Opposition has committed to a 12-month trial if elected.
Cashless gaming playing cards function in Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and ACT. Poker machines are banned in Western Australia apart from within the one on line casino in Perth.
